PEDIATRICS Vol. 88 No. 3 September 1991, pp. 582
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by GLASCOE, F. P.
Right arrow Articles by BAUMGAERTEL, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by GLASCOE, F. P.
Right arrow Articles by BAUMGAERTEL, A.

Reviews of Lay Literature in Child-Care: What Parents Are Reading

L. Canter with M. Canter. Assertive Discipline for Parents (Revised Edition). New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1985; list price $7.95 (No. 27 on the 1990 bestseller list of books on child care from Ingram Book Co., distributor of trade books).

FRANCES PAGE GLASCOE PhD1, WILLIAM O. MOORE MD1, and ANNA BAUMGAERTEL MD1

1 Child Development Center, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

This book on behavior management focuses closely on problematic parental behavior such as passivity, ineffectual statements, use of unrealistic threats, hostility, and physicality. Parents are taught to communicate better, use nonverbal techniques, logical consequences, and a variety of reinforcers. There are also suggestions for remaining calm, working as a team with a spouse and creating an overall discipline plan. Common problems and suggested consequences are covered in some detail. Overall, the book is "parentcentric" and "behaviorcentric"—offering little insight into why children behave, think and feel as they do or how the parent-child relationship can and should be one of mutual regulation. The text may be best reserved for somewhat unsophisticated parents who have trouble with the complexities of child development. However, because of its limited focus, families using this book may need additional references in order to understand problematic parent-child behavior better.